Once in a Blue Moon
by Crysalice Bell
Summary: Ryoma is a spoiled orphaned heiress.When she gets kidnapped by a mysterious,blue-eyed kidnapper and had to stay with him for a week,will love as rare as the Blue Moon shine?But what if his past and the present situation they're in interfere?femaleRyomaAU
1. Intro Action

Hi! This is CrystalKitteN-MeW (Crys for short) and I'm presenting my third Prince of Tennis story!

IMPORTANT NOTE: This story was first posted in my other account, Aquamarine Crystalline but since I've decided to post one-shots only there, I've deleted the story there and re-posted it here. I've changed the title too and I edited the story a bit so to those who've read it before in there ought to read it again here.

You know, I've always been fascinated about the concept of the Blue Moon. I know it's a really rare and mystical occurrence. And just like the rare love in this story so I thought it would fit. Plus, the Blue Moon has something to do with the characters here so it's not just for the title.

Well, this has been an experiment for me if whether I can make a female Ryoma story. To avoid OC-ness, I made the female Ryoma like some of my own characteristics so I can sync with the story better. Well, it is still THRILL PAIR, which you can see if you squinted at the summary and focused on the capitalized words.

**SUMMARY: Ryoma is a bratty orphaned heiress bored of her life. Will she feel THRILLING LOVE, as rare as the Blue Moon, in getting kidnapped by a charming blue-eyed kidnapper[AU, female Ryoma**

There you have it. So, I hope you enjoy the story!

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**Oh yeah, I have to add that I'm currently busy with schoolwork so updates won't happen very often… But I try to update once a week, specifically Friday or Saturday so check those days out.**

**Unya, just so you know, to all those who reviewed, messages for you from me will always be found at the end of the chapter, in my ending author's note! Thanks to all reviewers!**

**Note: I watched the whole Prince of Tennis series on a Japanese-dubbed, English-subtitled DVD so please bear with me if I accidentally add Japanese honorifics to the characters' names.**

**Bold- **English

_Italics-_ Flashback

'Dialogue'- Thoughts

"Dialogue"- Spoken Dialogue

Underline- Codename

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis.

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**Once in a Blue Moon**

**CHAPTER 1: Intro Action**

The name 'Echizen' was famous because the family was the richest in Tokyo, Japan. It was often gossiped about. Today, however, in the majestic Echizen mansion, the name seems to be repeated more than usual.

Want to take a peek?

"Echizen-sama."

"…"

"Echizen-sama.."

"…"

"ECHIZEN-SAMA!"

A pocketbook with the title "The Evening News" by Arthur Hailey (A/N: It's my book report but I don't own it) dropped down, revealing a pouting short green-haired girl reclined on a lush and majestic bed decorated with sky blue hangings. Her golden eyes clearly showed annoyance to whoever was calling (or shouting, for want of a better word) her name.

"What now?"

A stiff but tall, young-looking butler stood before her. He was wearing a black suit with white undershirt. He bowed low then he stood up straight, his short neat brown hair along with his sea green eyes emanating an authoritative effect. "I'm sorry for yelling Echizen-sama but it was the only way to get your attention. Tonight, you'll be dining with another of your deceased father's business partner and his family so I urge you to prepare yourself."

"That again," Echizen scowled as she closed the book she was reading. "Akira, how many times do I have to tell you that I hate those stupid dinners? All they talk about are business and the past. So boring… And I think I've told you a thousand times that I hate wearing gowns?"

"But Echizen-sama," the butler named Akira's face faltered, "it's a way to deal with your parents' passing. You might come under an emotional breakdown if you don't interact with other people."

"I'm eighteen! I'm not a child," Echizen complained.

"Then try acting…" Akira started to say but Echizen cut him off.

"Like a proper lady? Again? No way in hell," she said before burying her face in her pocketbook.

"ECHIZEN-SAMA!" Akira yelled again.

Then the door opened and in came a maid with long auburn hair. She looked as young as the butler. Her clear cerulean eyes scanned the room.

"Oh, what's the commotion in here? Ryoma-chan, let me guess. Akira was lecturing you again, wasn't he?"

Akira looked incredulously at the maid. "Toshi-san, you call Echizen-sama by her first name? Show some respect!"

"Akira! I've already told you to call me Yuuki! And I don't have a problem calling the mistress by her first name! She doesn't have a problem either!"

The pocketbook dropped down again and Ryoma looked at the maid. "Oh, hi Yuuki. Thanks for the save."

Yuuki smiled. "No problem. Just call for me if he starts lecturing you again. We all know that his lectures can be very demanding, very long and very boring it can put an insomniac to sleep." She winked.

Akira coughed. "Ahem. As I was saying Echizen-sama…"

"Yuuki…" Ryoma started to say.

"I'm on it, Ryoma-chan!" she said as she dragged the butler by his collar (Hey, what are you doing, Toshi-san?) and out into the room.

As she closed the door, she shouted, "Don't forget to come down to dinner, Ryoma-chan! Don't worry, those business guys won't be here because I'll kick them out before they can enter the mansion! See ya!"

Silence.

Ryoma smiled. Ever since her parents died a month ago, Ayashi Akira, the faithful family butler, and Toshi Yuuki, a maid as loyal as Ayashi, took really good care of her. She wasn't depressed because of them. Akira was just being overly worried that she'd undergo an emotional breakdown. Honestly, he can be a motherhen sometimes…

Yuuki, on the other hand, was the one whom Ryoma really gets along with. She always helps her escape Akira's tedious reminders. Despite the way Yuuki treats him, she's never seen Akira fight back. Those two were really quite close. After all, they applied to work for the mansion at the same time, which was two years ago. Akira was older though since he was now 26 years old and Yuuki was a year younger.

Meanwhile, her thoughts turned to her parents again. Last month, they had gone on a short vacation trip and on the way back their plane crashed and they died. Ryoma did cry a bit but she didn't really become hysterical. Becoming crazy because of such a reason won't do her any good, she knew.

But really, life can be boring sometimes. It was always the same routine. _'_Will I ever experience the thrill of life?'

She continued to read her book until she fell asleep.

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In a remote part of town, a man is seating on a large chair in a dark room. A young guy stood in front of him.

The man handed out a photo to the young guy. "Your assignment. Do it tonight at your usual time. Go with your partner, he's driving."

The young guy stared at the photo with sharp blue eyes. Then he asked, "Who is she?"

"Echizen Ryoma. Heiress of the richest family in Tokyo."

"I see. Instant cash for you, huh?"

"It's not easy because of a complicated will. There's more to it. Now stop asking questions and do it. And who knows, I might decide to tell you why I want her if you do this quickly. But due to security reasons, you are to stay on hold for a week before the meeting. Do not worry; everything you need is sent to your location. Is that clear?"

"Yes."

"Now, you might get some unexpected help from me. Do it at your own pace. Do whatever you can. Now, go and prepare."

"I will. I'll get the Princess for sure," the young guy said as he left the dark room.

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"Ryoma-chan…"

"Hmm…"

"Ryoma-chan…"

"H-huh?"

"Ryoma-chan, wake up, it's dinner time!"

Ryoma slowly opened her golden eyes. Yuuki's face with her clear cerulean eyes swam in view. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Yuuki?" She said sleepily.

"Yup, it's me! Now go and put on that gown!" she pointed at an elegant green gown hanged in front of Ryoma's wardrobe.

That got Ryoma awake and alert almost instantly. "G-gown? W-what the? Why should I wear it? I thought you're going to kick out those guests?"

"Ehehehe…" Yuuki laughed nervously, "Ah… well, I couldn't… So you have to go down there…"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! No way!" shouted Ryoma as she quickly exited the room and went outside.

Only to be greeted by the sight of Akira bowing to a man in his mid-40s. And she, Echizen Ryoma, was only wearing a plain sky blue T-shirt and very short white shorts. Wow, was she so embarrassed as the visitor and Akira stared, no gaped, at her.

Yuuki came out after 5 seconds and yelped at the fact that Ryoma had come out and shown herself to a visitor in her home clothes and not in proper attire.

Ryoma blushed. "Ah… I'm sorry. I'll… I'll go change."

The man smiled. "Ah, no need. You might be uncomfortable. It's all right with me."

"Erm… Okay." Ryoma went down the stairs, followed by Yuuki.

The man bowed. "It's nice to meet you, Echizen Ryoma. I'm Kuro Ryoru, one of your father's business partners."

"Ah. Um… Nice to meet you…" Ryoma actually didn't know what to say; good thing Yuuki was coaching her from behind.

Akira smacked his head. Ryoma was always bad at this. Then he bowed repeatedly to Kuro, "I'm sorry in behalf of Echizen-sama. It's embarrassing for you to see her like this."

"It's no problem. I'm pleased to make her acquaintance."

"Thank you for your kind understanding. Now, please, make yourself at home before dinner," Akira led Kuro into the living room.

Ryoma followed suit. Inside the very spacious living room, Kuro sat down on the couch. She did the same. Then he asked, "How have you been, Echizen-san? It must be quite difficult for you, seeing as your parents died just a month ago."

"Well, I'm… just fine. Thank you. Um… Why are you alone? I thought you were coming with your family?"

"Oh, you see, well they told me that they couldn't come. Too busy or maybe they wanted to do something else. I'm really sorry they couldn't come."

They were both distracted by a knock on the door followed by Yuuki's voice, "Excuse me, I came to bring some tea."

"Ah, Yuuki. Come in." Ryoma raised her voice.

The door slowly opened and in came Yuuki, carrying a tray. She set tea cups down on the table and poured the tea. Then she bowed.

Kuro took one of the cups. "Ah, thank you." Then he sipped on his tea.

Ryoma, however, didn't touch hers. '_I don't really like drinking tea…'_

Yuuki smiled and bowed. But as she approached the door, one of the windows suddenly sprang open and a person came in. Before any of them could react, gas filled up the room.

They all began coughing. Yuuki shouted as she covered her nose to prevent inhaling the smoke, "Ryoma-chan! Ryoma-chan, where are you?"

"Y-yuuki!" Ryoma called in between coughs.

"Ryoma-chan!"

Suddenly the door burst open, allowing some of the gas to escape. Akira's voice was heard over the commotion. "What's going on in here? Echizen-sama! Kuro-sama! Toshi-san! Where are you?"

Yuuki yelled, "Akira!"

Ryoma dropped down from her seat, coughing. '_What's happening?_' Then she felt her body tremble and her head felt heavy. '_Why do I feel dizzy…?'_

She could barely hear Yuuki's voice calling her name. Her consciousness was slowly slipping away.

However, she was still conscious enough to feel herself being carried bridal style by someone and carried out of the window.

'_Who… Why… is someone carrying me?' _Then she heard a faint sound of an engine. _'A… car…?'_

She looked up slowly at the person carrying her. She could barely see anything as it was dark and her vision was dimming. However, something caught her attention immediately.

Blue eyes…

But they were unlike Yuuki's clear cerulean eyes. These blue eyes were sort of clouded and seemed to be hiding… sadness? However, before she could comprehend further, Ryoma succumbed to the darkness.

The person smiled, "Good night, Princess."

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Meanwhile, back in the Echizen mansion, the gas in the living room had completely disappeared.

Yuuki was the first to notice the disappearance of a certain person. "Where's Ryoma-chan?"

Kuro got up from the floor, where he appeared to have fallen down during the upheaval. He looked around. "Where is Echizen-san? Don't tell me she was…"

Akira looked beyond hysterical. "Oh no! This is terrible! I've got to call the police!" He dashed off, nearly smashing the door in his hurry, rather than opening it.

Tears started to fall from Yuuki's eyes. _'Ryoma-chan… please be safe.'_

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Ryoma slowly opened her golden eyes. Darkness greeted her. She felt that she was lying on a sofa, her head on the couch's arm. She looked briefly from side to side. _'A room?'_

Then she looked up. And saw a dark figure. She couldn't tell who it is. However, the figure slowly opened blue eyes in a very scary way. "Looks like you're awake, Princess."

Ryoma screamed.

To be continued…

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**Ah-ha! There! So how was it?**

**Well, I think I might post the very long second chapter that I've been writing on paper soon enough.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing the story!**

**See ya in the next chapter!**

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	2. The Moon's Mask

Hi to all! This is Crys, here to present you the 2nd chapter of Once in a Blue Moon!

So, how is it so far? I know I foreshadowed a lot of things but the first chapter needed to be mysterious. So have you taken a guess to who the 'charming blue-eyed kidnapper' is? Well, you'll get to know who he is in this chapter!

By the way, I need to make some things clear. Ryoma here is a girl with some of my characteristics but NOT all of it. I kept Ryoma to be quite tomboyish and a bit cocky. The things I needed to add were 'girl' characteristics. Okay?

Read on!

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**Bold- **English

_Italics-_ Flashback

'Dialogue'- Thoughts

"Dialogue"- Spoken Dialogue

Underline- Codename

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis.

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**Once in a Blue Moon**

**CHAPTER 2: The Moon's Mask**

Ryoma screamed.

Or at least she tried to scream in surprise but when only her muffled voice resonated throughout the room she realized that she was gagged as she felt her tongue hit the handkerchief wedged in between her teeth and tied around her mouth.

She shifted a bit and felt her hands behind her tied together tightly with rope. Her feet were bound too.

She closed her eyes and memories of the night before began flooding into her mind.

'It must be dawn now,' she thought.

She was distracted however, by movement in front of her, presumably the person who was looking at her earlier. She opened her eyes and looked at whoever it was.

Sharp blue eyes stared back.

Ryoma was mesmerized.

The person smiled. "Hello, Princess."

Ryoma became annoyed. If there was one thing she hated, it was being called a princess. Well, gowns were second but that was another matter. She sat up and studied the person smiling at her.

He looked quite young, around 20 years old. His short brown hair fell and framed his angelic face. His eyes were currently closed that made Ryoma wonder if he was asleep but the memory of his keen azure eyes swam back into her mind. He was wearing a faded red T-shirt that had a sports design on the front and baggy black boxer shorts. He was wearing green slippers.

Then a question struck her. 'Are those sharp blue eyes the same sadness-clouded eyes that I saw last night?'

Ryoma was so deep in thought that she didn't notice the young guy pull down her gag so that the handkerchief was now hanging loosely from her neck.

When she realized it, she took a few deep breaths and murmured, "My mouth feels numb."

"Ah, I'm sorry," the young guy smiled. "I had a feeling you'd be getting quite a shock when you woke up so I had to gag you."

"Well, why wouldn't I be? You just appeared out of the blue in front of me," Ryoma said, pouting.

"Maa… No need to be so upset, Echizen Ryoma-san. Oh, I haven't introduced myself, haven't I? You can call me Fuji Syuusuke." He chuckled. "Princess Echizen," he added in a sing-song voice.

"I'm NOT a Princess!" Ryoma shouted. "I hate being called that, you know!"

"Ahahahahahaha!" Fuji laughed. "I can't believe how easily you can be riled up. You remind me of someone I used to know."

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, why tell me your name? Aren't you supposed to be keeping that a secret?" Ryoma asked.

"No, I don't mind. I'm just following orders. And my orders are to kidnap you. I'm positive that there's no command against me telling you my name, is there? Fuji replied.

Ryoma accepted that explanation and plopped down on the couch again. "So, how long do I have to stay here?"

"A week."

"And… escape is futile, right?"

"Right."

"As well as calling for help?"

"Yup."

"Oh, fine," Ryoma snapped sarcastically. "But why wait a week?"

"I don't know either. The Boss likes to keep everyone in the dark. It's just that I have to keep you here for a week. I don't know why. Security reasons, I suppose."

"I see…"

"Ah… Oh, I have to prepare breakfast. Sit here for a while," Fuji said before standing up and walking away in the direction of the kitchen.

Ryoma sat up with her back on the couch and her feet on the wooden floor. She wasn't wearing her slippers. 'Maybe they dropped during last night…'

She scanned the place. It was actually an apartment. Quite a distance on her right is a wooden brown door. There was a bookshelf not far from the door.

In front of her was another long couch and behind that were two rooms. Between the doors of those rooms was a huge body mirror.

One of the doors was ajar and Ryoma caught a glimpse of a bedroom. The other door was closed but she felt it was the bathroom. A narrow door was found a little to the left of the bathroom. 'Probably a closet,' she deduced.

And finally, to her left was a rectangular table with a chair on each side. Beyond that was the kitchen where Fuji stood with his back turned to her.

'Who is he really? And why do I feel at ease around him?'

She sighed and her mind wandered to Akira and Yuuki.

'I wonder how they're doing now.'

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"Yes… Yes… That's exactly what happened…"

Inside the Echizen mansion, Akira and Yuuki were currently in the living room talking to a chubby policeman who was taking notes. Other officers were inspecting the scene.

The policeman tapped his pen on his notebook. "I see. Well, we'll do our best to find her."

Yuuki smiled warmly. "Thank you."

The policeman turned to his men. "Find anything yet?"

One of the crime scene investigators who was at the corner of the room answered, "No, not yet, sir!"

A young bespectacled brunette in his twenties wearing a dark blue strait jacket over his white-collared undershirt and a red tie with dark blue pants and standing by the window however, contradicted the earlier statement, "No there is evidence here by the open window. Tape marks."

"Wow, good work Tezuka-tantei. But how did the tape marks get there?" the interviewing policeman commented.

"Thank you," the young man replied. "Now, let me elaborate on that further. There are tape marks on the window. Specifically on the window pane." He indicated the object.

"But I've been wondering about something," Yuuki piped up. "How did the kidnapper get in? The windows can't be opened from outside because it is hooked from the inside. And it can be opened only by a push from inside or a pull outside. And there are no handles outside so it's basically impossible to pull it."

"No, there is a way to get in. Assuming this window was where the kidnapper entered, it is possible to open a door hooked from the inside even if one is outside," Tezuka answered.

He stated further, "The kidnapper was wearing gloves; that's why there are no fingerprints. But what he did to get in has evidence left behind. Those tape marks are the proof."

"But how?" Akira inquired.

"He had arrived a few minutes before the kidnapping. There was probably no one at the living room at that time so nobody saw him. First, he cut a circle on the glass window pane, wide enough to insert his hand. He unlocked the hook from there."

"But the window was still closed when I came in," Yuuki burst out. "And there's certainly no hole on the window pane," she pointed at it. "If he did open it as you said, how come there's no hole and the window was closed when I came in?"

"That's one of the tricks he used. Actually, before he cut the circle, he taped a string in the middle. When he cut the glass, the circle fell inside. He inserted his hand and opened the hook. After that, he tied another string to the handle of the hook which he taped to the other side of the cut circle. Then he pulled the string outside and held it there. When it was time, a little pull would have opened the window."

"But that would make the circular glass fall outside and we would have noticed…" Yuuki said, perplexed.

"Were you looking at the window during that time?" Tezuka asked challengingly.

Yuuki thought hard. "Well, no… I was looking at the kidnapper back then…"

"It was a well thought-out plan. The gas was used to knock out Echizen-san and to cover up his trick. When Echizen-san became unconscious, he carried her out the same window, pulling the strings out as he went, leaving a clean crime scene. Or so he thought," Tezuka finished.

Then he strode over to the window and put his forefinger on the tape marks. He gave it a push and a part of the window pane cut circularly fell out. Yuuki gasped while Akira became wide-eyed. His deduction was right. Tezuka jumped out and picked it up then climbed back inside.

"It still doesn't point us to Echizen-san's whereabouts though. We still need to investigate," Tezuka said as he handed the glass to the examiners.

Yuuki and Akira looked at tezuka, amazed at his excellent deduction skills. The policeman interviewing them earlier chuckled at their awed faces.

Akira was the first one to snap out of his trance. "He's one smart guy."

"And he looks very young, too," Yuuki added as she was jolted back to reality as well.

"Yup, that's Tezuka Kunimitsu for you. He's only 20 years old but he's already solved quite a number of high-profile cases. He's the youngest tantei in our special investigation force", the policeman proudly narrated.

"Oh, so that's why…" Yuuki trailed off.

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Ryoma had taken a catnap on the sofa because Fuji took so long to prepare breakfast.

Fuji quietly approached the sleeping girl. He smiled at seeing her peaceful and angelic face. It was a shame to wake her up but they really needed to eat breakfast now. So he shook her gently until her eyes fluttered open lazily.

He whispered, "Saa… Time to wake up, Princess."

"H-huh? Is it morning already…?"

"Yup and it's time for breakfast. Now, wake up."

Ryoma sat up groggily. Fuji untied her hands and feet as well as the handkerchief hanging around her neck. She became nearly awake as she rubbed her wrists and ankles, trying to get the feeling back in them.

However, she gave a yelp of surprise when Fuji lifted her into his arms bridal-style. That got her fully awake as she blushed. "W-what are you d-doing…?"

"Hmm? Well nothing. I just like carrying you like this because you're so light." He chuckled. "Now, you look more like a Princess."

"I'm NOT a Princess and will you let me down, I can walk on my own!" Ryoma protested.

"Nope!" Fuji laughed.

Then an unexpected thing happened. Ryoma also laughed. She chuckled. "You're such a weird guy."

Fuji taunted her back, smiling, "And you're such a special girl."

That got the two of them laughing again until they reached the dining table. Fuji set Ryoma down on a chair while he sat on the side.

Ryoma looked down at the breakfast set in front of her and clapped in delight. "Grilled fish!"

Fuji smiled. "Do you like it?"

Ryoma blushed at her sudden outburst. "It's my favorite."

"Well, dig in," Fuji said.

They said 'Ittadakimasu' in unison and began eating breakfast, Ryoma looking particularly happy.

As they ate however, a knock on the door called their attention.

The knocking increased then stopped. After that, a man's voice was heard.

"Blue Moon, are you there?"

To be continued…

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**Ah… There it's finished. So how was it?  
**

**Well, I know I said it was going to be a long chapter because I thought it will be. I've been drafting it on scratch paper (the size of small bond paper) and it took 12 pages there so I thought it will be the same when I typed it. Guess not. Oh well…**

**So we have our charming blue-eyed kidnapper and it's Fuji! Yup, you get it now, this is THRILL PAIR. Ever wondered why the words 'THRILLING LOVE' was capitalized in the summary? It was a clue, people.**

**But then, cliffhanger tendencies to me again… Sigh… Who's knocking on Fuji's door? And who is ****Blue Moon****? Note that it is underlined, meaning it is a codename. Haha… Take a guess.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing the story!  
**

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**---Messages to Reviewers:**

**--rebeccasanfujieijilvr**

**-**Okay, okay. Here it is!

**--mesmerizedbyceruleaneyes**

**-**Oh, it's just that I wanted to see if I can do this kind of story. And (gasps) how did you know it was Fuji??? Wow. How did you know?

--**FanfictionLover**

-Ahehe… Sorry… It only took 6 pages… I thought it was long because on my scratch paper it was. But when I typed it, it became shorter.

--**Squirrelpelt**

-Really? Thanks. Well, the mystery guy IS a person from the Seigaku team and happens to be Fuji. Woohoo… Thrill Pair!

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**Yeah! So we have 2 chapters now. Actually, I'm writing this fanfic on scratch paper at school in between periods so it's planned. I'm in the middle of chapter 3 now and… (Screams) it's full of FujixRyoma fluff moments! Eeeyaaah!**

**Can't type it right now though. Oh well, lack of time because of the projects threatening to topple on me. Don't worry, update is next week. And sorry for not updating my other stories because this is the only one I had time to type.**

**See ya in the next chapter!**

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	3. Waxing Moon Part 1

Hi to all! I, Crys, am back again with another chapter of Once in a Blue Moon!

Wow, I didn't know that it's hard to make this kind of story. But I want to continue it.

I don't know but for some reason I feel inspired when writing this story and the ideas continuously flow out of my mind.

**I want to apologize for two things.**

**First, sorry for the last chapter's cliffhanger. I know it's frustrating but I ran out of time typing. Well, it continues here, anyway.**

**Second, sorry for not updating for 3 WEEKS! I'm really sorry! My final exams came up and I really needed to study! But now, it's over and I'm officially on vacation. The good news is I can update anytime!**

**Also, to you who are either Pillar Pair or Thrill Pair fans, check out my new story entitled Blue Moon: Legend of the Curse Chronicles. It's a Fantasy/Romance story and the main character is Ryoma of course but the pairing is still undecided for me. I can't decide between Fuji and Tezuka because my idea for either of them is quite all right. So please go there and vote for the pairing you want, if you have time.**

**Also, I've decided to become a Beta-Reader and I'm free now since school's over. So you want me to beta your story, I'll gladly do it.**

By the way, who do you think Blue Moon is?

Read on to find out!

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**Bold- **English

_Italics-_ Flashback

'Dialogue'- Thoughts

"Dialogue"- Spoken Dialogue

Underline- Codename

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis.

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**Once in a Blue Moon**

**CHAPTER 3: Waxing Moon (Part 1) **

Ryoma was confused. 'Blue Moon?'

Fuji put his chopsticks down and stood up. "Ah… That must be Silver Moon…" He strode over to the door and left a very perplexed Ryoma to her thoughts.

'Blue Moon? Silver Moon? What's he talking about?' she thought as she rested her chin on her palm while poking the food with her chopsticks held in her left hand. She was left-handed.

Fuji opened the door and in came a dark blue-eyed guy with silver and black hair. He was wearing a white undershirt inside an open black sleek leather jacket. He wore faded blue denim pants and black shoes. A silver pouch was tucked under his left arm while he carried a red plastic on the other.

"Hi, Saeki!" Fuji greeted.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's with the deal of using my name so suddenly? And in front of her, no less," he indicated Ryoma.

The two walked towards the dining table as Fuji said, "Maa… Maa… Saeki, there's no harm in letting her know. Besides, Boss Ganymede didn't restrict us, didn't he?"

"Yeah, well whatever," he said as he dropped the bag and pouch and sat on a chair at the dining table.

Ryoma asked, "Um… What are you talking about?"

Saeki looked at Fuji, surprised. "You didn't tell her yet?"

"Ah, well… It must have slipped off my mind…" Fuji laughed nervously.

"Jeez… Fuji. Anyway…" he turned to Ryoma who was in the middle of swallowing her food. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Echizen Ryoma-san. I'm Saeki Kojirou, your driver. You can call me Saeki. Or Silver Moon, if you please," he winked.

"Uh-huh. So what is Silver Moon, a codename or something?"

"Ah… That is my codename as a member of MoonShadow.

"The what?"

"The MoonShadow syndicate."

"Eh? You're syndicate members?"

"Indeed we are. I'm Blue Moon, for instance. And we all have codenames. The MoonShadow is a syndicate, simply put," Fuji explained.

"What do you do?"

"That we can't tell you," Saeki said as he chewed his food.

"But… what does this have to do with… me?"

Fuji and Saeki looked at each other uncertainly.

"I take it you don't know either?"

They shook their heads.

Ryoma gave a defeated sigh.

They all ate their breakfast in silence.

Then Saeki spoke up, "By the way, Fuji, Titan contacted me earlier. He says he's coming over for an inspection tonight."

Fuji opened his eyes. Then he said in a serious tone, "So he's coming, is he…"

"Che… I know how you feel. He's a huge pain in the neck," Saeki frowned as he set down his chopsticks.

"Who's Titan?" Ryoma asked.

"He's the sec-com, second-in-command, if you will. He's a powerful man but he's got a mean temper. You wouldn't want to cross him," Fuji said as he set his chopsticks down as well.

"I see…" Ryoma drawled as she played with the leftover grains of rice in her bowl with her chopsticks.

Saeki stood up. "Sorry, I've got to rush now. I have a job today. See you later, Echizen-san, Fuji."

"See ya, Saeki," Fuji waved at him.

"Ah… Don't forget tonight, 10 pm," Saeki reminded.

"How can I forget?" Fuji answered with a bitter tone.

"Heh. Well, I've got to go now. Oh by the way, Ganymede sent these over because he forgot to have them included in the first package," he pointed at the pouch and plastic.

"Ah, thanks."

"Well, see ya." Saeki left.

"What's he going to do?" Ryoma asked.

"A job," Fuji replied coolly.

"What job?"

"That's a secret. Now we need to clean up but…" Fuji's voice trailed off.

"But what?" Ryoma raised an eyebrow.

"You don't know how?" Fuji finished, smiling.

Ryoma twitched. Fuji was teasing her as a spoiled brat! How dare he…

"Well?" Fuji challenged as he began carrying his plates.

Ryoma smirked. So he wants to test her out, does he? Well, she is not going to back down from this. Ever.

"Let me help you with that," she smiled audaciously as she gathered the plates.

"Ah… Thanks. But are you sure you know how?" Fuji teased her even more.

"Yuuki's been teaching me. I know that my parents are against it but I've been sneaking down the kitchens since I was little. She's teaching me about things," Ryoma explained as she set the plates on the sink.

"Who's Yuuki?" Fuji asked while opening the taps.

"Hmm… If you think back to last night, she was the maid who was serving tea…" Ryoma relied, grabbing the sponge.

Fuji reminisced the night before. He remembered who Yuuki was, just as Ryoma began washing the plates.

He came back from his deep thought and moved closer to Ryoma. "I'll help you with that." But as he did so, his hand brushed against Ryoma's.

Ryoma could not comprehend why a tingling sensation ran from the point Fuji's hand brushed against hers up to her now flustered cheeks. And was the electric fan turned off? Because it was so hot.

Fuji, on the other "hand", had trouble figuring out why he could almost feel his heart beating against his chest at the mere contact with Ryoma. Her skin was so soft and smooth. He had carried her bridal-style twice already but why did a simple touch like this make him heat up? Was it really just a hot day today?

A long period of awkward silence and staring at each other descended between the two of them. The water from the faucet flowed like eternity before the two realized that the sink was filling up with water. Apparently, the drain was clogged.

They both quickly rushed to turn off the taps but that only resulted in another "moment" as Fuji's hand piled up on Ryoma's on top of the tap's knob.

The two stared at each other, blushing.

Ryoma broke the silence. "Umm… Fuji?"

Fuji was a bit surprised but he managed to regain his composure and replied, "Yes?

"… Your hand's on top of mine. I can't turn off the tap…" Ryoma said abashedly.

"Ah… I'm sorry." Fuji removed his hand. Ryoma turned off the faucet.

The two proceeded to clean up the dishes, with Fuji removing whatever was clogging the drain, in silence.

As Ryoma wiped her hands with a towel, she asked, "Can I take a bath?"

"Of course," Fuji relied. "And you will find some of the things you need in the pouch and plastic that Saeki brought and in the box in my bedroom."

"Oh…" Ryoma pondered as she picked up the pouch and plastic and proceeded to Fuji's bedroom.

She only got a glimpse of it before but seeing the interior of it up-close was different.

The room was simple and neat but that was what made it breathtaking.

The walls were painted a fleshy color although it was obviously not new. There was a cabinet at the far right propped against the wall. In the middle was the bed which could fit two people at most.

On the far left was an open window where the sunbeams passed through. She walked slowly towards it, carefully avoiding the early morning sun's glare and looked down.

The apartment was apparently on the third floor. And the place was quite isolated since there was only a wide river. Where was this place really?

She sighed and proceeded to the side of the bed where a box was placed. She placed the pouch and plastic on top of the bed. She pulled the box toward her and opened it.

And boy, was she surprised.

The box was full of clothes. Most of them looked new, too. There was lingerie and some slippers. Everything was complete.

She unzipped the pouch and found a bottle of shampoo and a box of soap, the works. It almost seemed like her stay was planned all along.

Inside the red plastic was a white bath towel.

She carried the things she needed and went out of the bedroom, in time to see Fuji finish sweeping the floor.

Ryoma called out to him, "I'm going to use the bathroom."

"Sure," Fuji replied, smiling.

Ryoma pushed open the door of what she thought was the bathroom. And she was right. It was well-maintained and clean. There was also a shower.

Hurriedly, Ryoma removed her clothes and turned on the shower, letting the cool water refresh her. Water continuously flowed from her wet hair to her now soaked body.

As she savored the coolness of the morning shower, Fuji's words rang in her mind.

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'_You're such a special girl'._

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She smiled and closed her eyes. Why does Fuji remind her so much of…

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'_You're such a special girl… and that's why I like you.'_

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The statement resonated throughout her head again but this time it was uttered by a more childlike voice.

She opened her eyes. 'I wonder where that person is now…'

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Fuji slowly opened the knob of the sink taps, letting the flowing liquid clean his hands.

He suddenly remembered Ryoma's words.

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'_You're such a weird guy.'_

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Only one other person has called him that.

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'_You're such a weird guy… but I still like you.'_

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He chuckled. Why does his captive remind him so much of someone he knew? He closed the taps.

A few minutes later, the bathroom door slowly creaked open and Ryoma with only a white towel draped around her body came out. Water droplets dripped off her green locks like dewdrops from leaves. Her wet, white skin gave off the appearance of an angel without wings and a halo, in Fuji's opinion. Her body's form told anyone that she was a woman but her soft golden eyes emanated the innocence of a child.

Simply put, Fuji couldn't help blushing.

The naïve Ryoma, on the other hand, had no idea how she's affecting Fuji.

She shook her hair a bit and went inside the bedroom to dress up.

Inside the bedroom, Ryoma walked over to the bed where some clothes were already laid. She loosened the towel and dropped it on the floor. Then she put on the clothes on the bed.

Outside, Fuji shook his head to clear his thoughts and glanced at the white wall clock that hung on top of the bedroom door.

8:01 a.m.

'It's time for me to take a bath,' Fuji thought. 'But I need to take care of something first.'

He strode over to the bedroom door and grasped the doorknob and was only about to turn it when he stopped in his tracks.

'Is she still dressing…?'

Fuji took a deep breath to calm himself. What the heck was he thinking of?

He shook his head to get rid of whatever he was thinking about Ryoma.

He opened the door VERY slowly.

And was surprised at what he saw.

Ryoma was lying on his bed, her eyes closed and her hands behind her head on top of the pillow wearing an apple green shirt with the number 52 written in red print in front. She wore light blue shorts with bubblegum pink strings dangling at the sides of her legs. It was supposed to be tied in a ribbon but it seems Ryoma forgot it.

Or just decided to ignore it.

Fuji tiptoed towards his cabinet across the room.

However, he stopped in his tracks when a voice spoke up. "Heh. You don't seem good at stalking. Now I wonder how you kidnapped me."

Fuji looked at Ryoma who was still on the bed, apparently asleep. However, she cracked one eye open, showing that she had been awake all along.

"Saa… I thought you were asleep. I didn't want to wake you up. So I tiptoed across the room."

"Well, it didn't work."

"Maa…" Fuji shrugged as he resumed walking towards his cabinet. Actually, he knew that Ryoma was awake and what she was planning; he wasn't MoonShadow's Blue Moon for nothing, being assigned tasks by Ganymede himself, rather than from Titan. But he went along with her game anyway.

He opened the cabinet and took out some clothes. His eyes alighted on a box at the corner. He opened it.

Meanwhile, Ryoma tried hard not to laugh. That was just payback for teasing her earlier. She got another idea.

"Did you… think I was undressed when you came in…?"

Fuji froze at what she was making him think. He prayed to God for his sanity and self-control to remain intact. What was she teasing him for? He gripped tighter the object he took out of the box.

"Hey, I'm just asking you…" Ryoma said as she sat up on the bed. "Don't tell me you were…?"

Fuji approached her, his hands behind his back. He smiled. "What if… I might have, for even a second? … What will you do?" He crouched down so that their faces were level.

Ryoma grinned slyly but she gave a yelp of surprise when Fuji pulled her by the arm toward him. She closed her eyes.

Then she heard a clicking sound.

'What was that?'

She felt Fuji's grip on her loosen. She opened her eyes and was shocked at what she saw.

Fuji stood up and smiled. "Just to make sure you don't escape while I'm taking my bath."

Ryoma blinked.

Fuji chuckled lightly. "Enjoy the presence of my bedroom for an hour. That's about how long I take my bath. Ja." He went out of the door.

Ryoma stared at his retreating back, wide-eyed. Then she shouted, "YOU DIDN'T NEED TO HANDCUFF ME TO THE BED YOU KNOW! IDIOT!

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Police cars moved away one by one from the driveway of the Echizen mansion. Akira and Yuuki, who were standing by the front door, looked at them as they sped away.

A very sad-faced Yuuki said, "I hope they find Ryoma-chan soon."

Akira assured her, "I know they will, Toshi-san."

Silence.

Akira thought it odd. He had called her Toshi-san and surely, she would react. But why hadn't she…? He looked at her.

And saw her crying silently. Tears fell from her cerulean eyes, like a slow moving waterfall. He didn't know what to do or say to her.

Yuuki caught him staring at her. She quickly wiped away the tears from her eyes. "I-I'm sorry, Akira. I-it's just that I'm worried about Ryoma-chan. What will her parents say if they were still alive and we failed to watch over her? I feel guilty."

"Look, Toshi-san. I know Echizen-san will be safe. And the police will find her. I'm sure of it. Now, stop crying and rest for now. I'm sure you're stressed."

"Oh no! There's no need," Yuuki said as he removed the last traces of tears in her eyes. "I'll get back to work."

"I insist. Even if you work, you won't be able to focus anyway. Take a rest." Akira smiled at her.

Yuuki smiled back. "Thank you, Akira."

Akira blushed but he hurriedly tried to cover it up by looking away and coughed. "I-it's all right, Toshi-san."

"Really you… When will you stop calling me Toshi-san?"

"H-huh?" Akira put on a serious face as he tried to change the topic. "Look, you really should rest now. Please go to your room."

"Okay, okay," she chuckled as she went inside.

Akira's serious face remained intact as he watched Yuuki enter the mansion. When she was out of sight however, a smile slowly made its way to his face.

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Inside the police car…

Tezuka stared out the window, as he was seated in the passenger seat of the car.

So far, they haven't gotten any conclusive evidence. There were footprints too but it was not enough. They have to make a lot of deducting and guessing to do.

But what occupied his mind the most was the window trick. It was very ingenious, really and no one could have easily thought up of that. In fact, if not for someone he knew, Tezuka pondered, he wouldn't be able to figure that trick out.

Why? Because that person taught him that trick.

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'_Tezuka, I heard that you were considering to be a detective, after your grandfather?'_

'_Ah… That's right.'_

'_Really? I hope you do well in your chosen career. Hey, I know! As a test for you, here's a trick I came up with. How do you enter a window made of glass panes that can only be opened and hooked from inside from the outside?'_

'_Hmm… That's quite difficult.'_

'_Want me to tell you now?'_

'_How?'_

'_It goes like this…'_

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Tezuka was jolted out of his thoughts by the car stopping. They have arrived at the station. He unbuckled the seatbelt and stepped out of the car. He went inside the precinct and proceeded to his office.

His office was huge but it appeared to be small because of the stacks of papers piled on all corners of the place. There were drawers and cabinets too. A table was on the far end but it was filled with files too. He began making coffee and after he was done, he sat on his chair in front of his desk. He took a sip of the warm beverage to keep him awake. After all, they had investigated the Echizen mansion from dawn to morning. He remembered the person who taught him the window trick.

'I haven't seen him ever since Senior High graduation. Maybe I ought to visit him sometime…'

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Ryoma pouted. As Fuji had said, he had indeed taken an hour bathing. 'What's he doing… playing with the water?'

It was no wonder she looked grumpy when Fuji entered the room, dripping wet. He unlocked the handcuffs and Ryoma crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Why did you handcuff me to the bed?"

"Didn't I say so before? I was just making sure," Fuji replied.

"Jeez…"

"So… what do you want to do?"

"Me?"

"Yeah…"

"Um… what am I supposed to do?"

"Just hang around my place for a week. You can do anything you want, as long as it's in here."

"Really? I was under the impression you were going to keep me tied up for the whole week."

"If you were a criminal, I would. But you're not. To me, you're just an innocent girl roped into one of my boss's crazy plans."

Ryoma blushed at the comment.

"So…" Fuji continued, "what do you want to do? I might not be able to give you everything so I can't comply with all requests you make."

"Um…"

"Yes?"

"Can you… just tell me something about yourself?"

Fuji was taken by surprise. What was she requesting that for?

"It's okay if you don't want to…" Ryoma said as she fell back on the bed.

"No…" Fuji quickly responded. "It's just that…" his voice trailed off.

"What?" Ryoma asked.

"You might not like… what you'll know…" Fuji finished cryptically.

Ryoma raised an eyebrow at that. What did he mean?

"Why… do you want to know about me?" Fuji suddenly asked.

"I'm curious… You look quite young and you're already a syndicate member…" 'And you remind me of someone…' Ryoma added in her mind.

"Furthermore, you're my companion for a week. Can't I at least know something about you?"

Fuji remained silent. What was he going to say? He didn't want to reveal too much about his past that was clouded with sadness. He opened his blue eyes, thinking of what to say.

Ryoma stared at him. 'Those eyes…'

"I'm sorry… but I can't reveal too much about myself… It'll put you in danger…"

"…"

"But I am interested in photography…" Fuji smiled.

"Really?" Ryoma brightened at that.

"Do you want to see some of the pictures that I took?"

"If you don't mind."

"Then, come on."

Ryoma moved closer to the edge of the bed. However, before she could put her feet on the ground, she, once more, found herself in Fuji's arms.

Specifically, Fuji was carrying her bridal-style again.

(A/N: Okay, my words are getting to be ambiguous)

She blushed again. But this time, she didn't stutter. "Again?"

"You should be glad for the free ride, you know."

They smiled at each other.

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Somewhere out there… that I don't know…

A black-haired man in his 30s wearing a plain black shirt and equally dark pants and shoes stood in front of a person whose figure is cloaked by the darkness of the place.

The figure, who appeared to be sitting on a chair, spoke, "Titan, you know what to do tonight?"

"Yeah, whatever, Ganymede," an aloof voice replied.

"However, during your inspection, pass a message to Blue Moon from me."

"What would that be?" Titan stared at Ganymede with his cold eyes.

"Just some information that I found out personally. It seems the one who's investigating the kidnapping is…

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Ryoma was awed.

No, she was dumbstruck.

Fuji's pictures were the reason.

She was currently sitting on the sofa, browsing through an album full of pictures. Fuji sat beside her.

Every picture was good quality. Heck, almost everything had an effect, from shadows to lens flares. Most of them were sceneries or just about everyday objects but the photo capture made them as realistic as ever. There was a soft touch to all of the pictures, proof that whoever took them was really interested in the subject.

"Wow…"

Fuji smiled.

"You know, you could be a photographer if you want to… You've got natural talent."

"Thank you," he said. "But I can't…" he added softly and quietly so that Ryoma wouldn't hear.

After leafing through the album, Ryoma closed it with a snap and walked over to the shelf, poring over the pocketbooks lined up. Most of them were famous titles and of different genres; some were action, others were suspense, there were romance novels too. But what was common to them all was that they were obviously old books since the pages were yellowing but at least they were all intact.

Fuji stole a glance at the clock. 11:30 a.m. He turned to Ryoma, "Saa… Echizen-chan, it's time for lunch."

A vein appeared on Ryoma's head while an eyebrow twitched, "Don't call me with a suffix –chan! Echizen is fine or even just Ryoma, but not with -chan!!!" 'Only Yuuki can call me that!'

"Okay, okay! I give. Echizen then. Come on, let's cook lunch."

"What?"

"Help me cook lunch for the two of us. Don't you want to?"

"Oh… Okay."

The two strode over to the kitchen. Fuji opened the fridge and took out some vegetables and some meat. Ryoma however, just stared at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Um… Well… it's just that…" Ryoma looked down embarrassedly.

For a while, Fuji looked at her, confused. However, after a few minutes, it hit him. He smiled. "I'll teach you then."

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Back with Ganymede and Titan…

"…. And so it seems that way," Ganymede finished.

"Fine. I'll tell him then," Titan said as he spun around and left.

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As much as Ryoma hated to admit, she can't cook.

That was one thing that Yuuki forgot to teach her.

But right now, nothing was making her happier than Fuji teaching her how to cook.

However, it was also making her body heat up, her heart to beat so fast it was almost popping out of her chest and her cheeks seemed like they were going to remain red forever.

Why?

Currently, Ryoma was trying to cut some vegetables.

Correction, Ryoma was trying to cut some vegetables… with Fuji's arms wrapped around her, his hands holding hers as he moved her hands accordingly in order to cut the vegetables.

Will her heart pop out?

After she finished cutting, she washed her hands while Fuji put the vegetables in the pot and stirred it over the stove.

When he finished, they began eating their lunch. In silence this time though. Ryoma was too busy trying to calm her thumping heart down and Fuji was having trouble taking his eyes off Ryoma.

Unknowingly, they thought at the same time…

'Why do I feel like this towards her/him!?'

To be continued…

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**Ah-haha! Yes! Finished! Well see… it took so long I had to cut it into two parts. So guys, read this part 1 for now. Part 2 will be posted sometime later.**

**Oh, I'm glad to say that this is, as of March 8, 2008, is the longest chapter I've ever written among all my stories! (Jumps for joy… Yay…)**

**See, I did say this chap is full of FujixRyoma moments. I melted a while ago checking them… Did you melt too?**

**Also about the codenames:**

**Fuji is ****Blue Moon****, obviously, because of his sharp blue eyes.**

**Saeki is ****Silver Moon****, taken from his silver hair.**

**The Boss is ****Ganymede****, fitting for whoever he is because Ganymede, Jupiter's moon, is the largest moon in the Solar System.**

**The sec-com is ****Titan****, the second largest moon in the Solar System.**

**And finally…**

**Why are all their codenames about moons? The name of the syndicate is MoonShadow, so they're named after moon-related terms.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing the story!**

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**---Messages to Reviewers:**

--**rebeccasanfujieijilvr**

**-**Okay, here it is!

--**mesmerizedbyceruleaneyes**

-Actually I have a new fantasy/romance story about the Blue Moon, check it out! Well, as for Tezuka catching Fuji… (Grins). Then about those lines, did you see them above?

--**Squirrelpelt**

-Thanks for reviewing! Here's the update!

--**EIEN07**

-Even if you don't like the pairing, I'm glad you took the time to read it. Really, thank you!

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**Okay, guys… Wait for the part 2 okay? The setting there is the same as this part 1, the same place and the same day.**

**See ya in the next chapter!**

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	4. Waxing Moon Part 2

Hi

Hi!

It's Crys again and here to present the 4th chapter of Once in a Blue Moon! This also happens to be the second part of the previous chapter!

I apologize for the late update; I've been attending seminars and trainings lately.

Yeah, I know that this story seems kind of odd and there are lots of monotonous things but I fear I forgot to say that this story kind of… takes time to develop. Especially since the first chapter already included part of the main action and the succeeding chapters seem to have become focused on the romance.

**But since school is nearing (again), I fear that this could be the last mass update for a while. No, it doesn't mean that I'll stop updating. It just means that I'll only be able to update 1 or 2 stories per week or maybe even every other week.**

**However, I'll give you readers a choice. Would you rather want…**

**Option A: I'll update every week or every other week but only 1 or 2 stories will be updated. Plus I won't update the same story per week. For example, if I update this story, it won't be updated again till I've updated all my other stories so if you're really a fan of only one of my stories, updates will be quite a while.**

**Option B: I'll type all the updates of all my stories up first then release all of them (most likely once a month or twice a month if I'm lucky) in a mass update. But then that would be a REALLY long wait for the impatient people. However, those who are fans of many stories would get to read them all in one go.**

**So… There are the two options. Please tell me in your review which option you would prefer. It will help me in planning out my typings.**

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**Bold- **English

_Italics-_ Flashback

'Dialogue'- Thoughts

"Dialogue"- Spoken Dialogue

Underline- Codename

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis.

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**Once in a Blue Moon**

**CHAPTER 3: Waxing Moon (Part 2)**

Lunch was eventful.

Well, first, Fuji and Ryoma kept glancing at each other when one was not looking. As a result, the "eventful" lunch took almost an hour. They might have spent half of that looking at one another.

Second, their "glance at one another secretly" phase was probably still not over by the time they finished eating so an accidental coincidental stare with one another startled both, resulting in the crashing and dropping of plates.

"YIKES!"

"Oops!"

Well, there went at least a month's salary…

Ryoma sighed as she patted the back of her head. "I'm sorry…"

Fuji shook his head. "No, it's my fault…" He bent over to clean up the broken plates. But Ryoma stopped him from doing so. "Don't pick up broken plates with your hands. Use the broom if you must because you'll get injured if you do so," she said, remembering what Yuuki told her when a similar thing occurred back in her house.

Fuji was a bit stunned at what she said but then smiled again, saying in an almost teasing way, "Wow, I didn't know you were quite mother-like."

At this, Ryoma blushed completely but still managed to pout. "No, I do not!"

Fuji laughed lightly. "Okay, okay."

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The day passed by with relatively nothing exciting. Ryoma just lounged lazily on the sofa while Fuji was doing some "important business" or whatever the hell it was. Ryoma wondered what it was, because Fuji was just talking on the phone while shifting through some papers.

'Probably has something to do with the syndicate,' she thought.

This "alone" time gave her the chance to sort out her thoughts of all the recent events that happened around her.

'What does the syndicate want with me?' She turned over so that she was now lying on her side, her back turned to Fuji.

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Tezuka sorted the files on his desk. He took out one folder and opened it. It contained the data they've gathered regarding Echizen Ryoma's kidnapping.

He rubbed his head. It was a dilemma. There were practically little leads at all. Whoever it was that took her had made sure to cover his tracks.

The reason why was not clear either.

Sighing, he reached for his cup of coffee. It turned out to be too hot though, and he accidentally spilled a bit of it. A few drops landed on one of the folders on the desk.

He placed his cup on the snack table (which had papers neatly piled up on half of it) and went back to his own table. He took the stained folder and opened it.

His eyes widened. 'What a coincidence…'

The coffee-spilled file was about the accident of Echizen Ryoma's parents, Echizen Nanjirou and Echizen Rinko.

According to the investigation, they were riding on their private jet towards America about some business affairs. On the way, however, technical malfunction caused the plane to crash.

But, Tezuka thought as he grabbed the folder about Echizen Ryoma, something was strange about that accident.

Also, there's the fact only known to a select few and as Tezuka had managed to find out, that Echizen Nanjirou and the MoonShadow syndicate seemed to have some unknown heated business.

'The MoonShadow…'

It was one of the most notorious syndicates around Tokyo. Involved in illegal business, they managed to escape the police every time. They had wealthy and powerful members who are very secretive, as such that all rich businessmen in Tokyo were suspected members.

Tezuka thought hard as he sipped on his coffee again and pored over the two files.

'Could there be a connection…?'

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Now, Fuji seemed to be busy poring over some notes instead, right after he hung up the phone.

Ryoma, bored, stood up and went to Fuji's room unnoticed.

Locking the door behind her, Ryoma plopped down on the bed. Fuji wouldn't probably mind anyway.

Quite some time passed when her eyes suddenly alighted on Fuji's cabinet. Curious, she strode over to the cabinet and opened it.

Surprisingly, there were only a few articles of clothing in there. Everything was neatly hangered and folded in place.

An old-looking box caught her eye. She took it and set it on her lap. It was a wooden box with exquisite carvings. She opened it.

Inside were several faded photographs. She studied one.

It appeared to be Fuji, around 7 years old, playing in a garden of a house. He was with a woman whose face was already blurred. 'His mother, perhaps?"

She took out another photo from the box. It was Fuji posing with a smaller boy with an X-shaped scar on the side of his head.

'Fuji posing here… He looks like... that boy…'

She set it down and found what appeared to be a torn page from a journal of some sort. Curiosity taking over, she read it.

…_**burned down. Only nee-san and I…**_

_**This man volunteered to help us. We were happy but-**_

Burned down? What could have been razed by fire?

She would have skimmed through more, if not for the fact that Fuji began knocking on the door. "Echizen, I'll be starting to make dinner soon. Want to join me?"

In her shock, Ryoma dropped the note. She would have dropped the box too if she hadn't manage to collect her wits in time. She shouted back, "O-okay!"

Hurriedly, she stuffed the photographs and the note back in the box and stowed it away in the cabinet. She closed the cabinet and proceeded towards the door.

She grasped the doorknob and opened the door. Spotting Fuji in the kitchen, she hurried over to him.

However, just as she closed the door behind her, a thought came into her mind. 'Didn't I lock the door before? So why didn't I hear the lock un-clicking when I left?'

'Did Fuji…?'

She looked at the honey-haired boy again, who was whistling a non-descript tune as he sliced some vegetables.

'Nah, it can't be…'

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Fuji stirred the soup expertly. "Ne, Echizen, can you set the table please?"

Ryoma pouted. "Since when did I become your slave?"

"Since yesterday, I think?" Fuji replied in a sadistic tone. "Oh, perhaps you want me to take away your freedom of movement, hmm?"

Ryoma shuddered. She hated being tied up. Sighing, she replied, "Fine."

"Thanks," Fuji winked at her. It made her heart skip a beat.

While Ryoma arranged the table, Fuji ladled the soup into two separate bowls. Secretly, he dropped several pills into one of the bowls. Ryoma was too busy to notice.

Smiling, Fuji said, "Dinner's ready, Echizen!"

"Took you long enough."

"Ah, I'm sorry." He set out a bowl of rice that had meat and a bowl of soup in front of Ryoma who just sat down.

He sat on the other end of the table. And set out two bowls in front of him.

"Well, shall we?" He smiled.

"Ittadakimasu!" they uttered in unison before starting to eat.

Ryoma chewed her food in a quick pace.

"You seem to be rushing," Fuji commented.

"I just want to take a bath soon…" she muttered as she finished her rice.

Fuji smiled bitterly to himself. 'I'm sorry but that won't be happening anytime soon. It's nearly 9 pm now, an hour before Titan comes…'

Ryoma finished her soup not too soon. She gulped down a glass of water before taking a deep breath. "Thanks for the food…" she said as she began to stand up.

But suddenly, her body shook and her head began spinning. She held a hand to her forehead. 'Wh-what's happening to me?'

Her vision was dimming and doubling. Her focus and her consciousness were slowly disappearing.

"F-fuji…" she managed to say before she collapsed, right into Fuji's outstretched arms.

Fuji's sharp azure eyes were open. He frowned. 'I'm really sorry… Echizen… But it's better that you don't meet him… in a conscious state… It's for your own good…'

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Fuji stared out of the window of his dark apartment, as he turned out the lights. Up in the night sky a crescent moon glowed. Its light penetrated the windows' glass panes, shining on the now sleeping Ryoma lying on the sofa, covered in a blanket.

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_A young Fuji was out in the garden of a huge white house_ _running with a little girl. They laughed under the warm sun. The tweeting of birds and the fluttering of butterflies to and fro accentuated the garden's beauty._

"_Fu-kun! Wait for me!"_

"_Nope!" Fuji replied teasingly as he increased his pace._

_The girl pouted in a very cute manner. "Just wait, you!!" She sped up and managed to catch up to him. However, just when she was right behind him, she tripped, pushing him in the process and they ended up rolling together on the grass._

_They laughed._

_The girl smirked. "See, I told you I'll catch up with you, didn't I?"_

_Fuji chuckled. "Hai, hai… I give up…"_

_Her eyes sparkled. "You're such a weird guy… But I still like you…"_

_He taunted back, "And you're such a special girl… and that's why I like you…"_

_After thinking about what they just said, they laughed again._

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A loud knocking… no, banging… on his door interrupted Fuji's train of thoughts. He opened his blue eyes. 'There's only one person who'd bang on my door like that… It's him…' He gulped before striding towards the door.

The incessant banging just wouldn't stop. Fuji quickly opened the door but whoever it was that was bashing the door didn't expect the tenant to open it suddenly and his fist came charging down towards Fuji.

However, with amazing reflexes and speed, Fuji managed to dodge it, such that it only hit the ends of his brown hair.

Fuji frowned. "I can charge you for breaking down my door."

"Che," the visitor scowled. "It's not like I wanted to come to this dump you call your apartment." He stepped inside, "Is this dump an apartment or a haunted house? It's darker than a cave."

"Lighting is not a problem, Titan," Fuji said as he flicked the switch.

The second-in-command of MoonShadow syndicate, Titan, was a tall man with grey hair spiking upwards. He had a scary aura emanating from him. He was indeed a man to be feared.

"I just want to be done with this stupid inspection already. I've got lots more to do," he said bluntly.

Fuji glared at him intensely. "I never asked to be inspected either. But orders are orders, so do what you have to do."

Unfazed by Fuji's glare, he stared back. "Don't tell me what to do."

Fuji's fierce look didn't waver. He will never want to be under Titan's command.

Titan strode across the room till he saw Ryoma asleep on the couch. He stared at her.

"Is this the Echizen heir?"

Fuji crossed his arms. "Yeah…"

"Heh. She's not bad…" he commented.

"Whatever," Fuji said, annoyed. "Now, I believe this ends your inspection."

Titan shot a very fierce glare at Fuji but he didn't cringe. Instead, he stared back with equally intense cerulean orbs.

"Che. Fine. I'll leave. I don't want to stay long in this dump anyway. But Ganymede wants me to pass this message to you. A tip-off I suppose."

"Well? Tell me."

"The one investigating this brat's case is someone you're very familiar with."

"And who would that be?"

"It's…"

The clock in the room began ringing, signaling that it was already 11 o' clock in the evening. Back to Fuji…

He was staring at Titan, but this time it was out of shock.

Titan laughed at Fuji's shock. "Heh. I knew you'd be shocked. Well, it's up to you to make sure he doesn't get to you."

Fuji frowned again, getting rid of his shock. "Of course he won't get to me. Akutsu," he spat out the last word.

Titan scowled. "Che… Calling me by name… I hate it when you do that. You've got no respect for me as the sec-com."

"Then perhaps you should leave if you feel… offended. Show yourself out of here or maybe I need to show you out, hm?"

The grey-haired man glared again but decided he wasn't in the mood to pick on Fuji today. Turning around, he went out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

A few minutes after he left, Fuji took a deep breath and closed his eyes again. He strode over to Ryoma and kneeled beside her.

Brushing a few strands of her hair that strayed on her face, he thought, 'It was better that you didn't see him. If you did, something bad that I can't stop might happen to you and I don't want that happen…'

'Because I care for you… Ryo-chan…'

'Very much…'

To be continued…

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**Well, this has turned out quite unexpectedly. It seems to be more dark-themed than when I first thought it will be.**

**Anyways, it's quite obvious that Fuji likes Ryoma very much here… But something appears to be holding him back, ne?**

**Thank you for reading and reviewing the story!**

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**--Messages to Reviewers:**

**--nvrwsndnvrwllb**

**-**Thank you! I did well enough.

Pillar Pair? No. There's only Thrill Pair here… I reserve my Pillar Pair thoughts for my other stories XD

--**mesmerizedbyceruleaneyes**

**-**Ahehe… Sorry. Does it really annoy you that much? Fine, I'll cut it down… I was just probably too hyper back when I wrote the previous chapter…

--**rebeccasanfujieijilvr**

-Erm… Okay…

--**Squirrelpelt**

**-**LOL. I assure you there's nothing worth rating M here… This is only T…

--**IceCreamXD**

**-**Thanks!!

--**Firey Chronicles**

**-**You really think so? Hm… Well, you see, this story is a bit different from my other stories. It has a bit of a more dark-themed plot and my writing style is here quite different. It's almost like I'm testing myself, really…

--**pickles4ever**

**-**Thanks!!

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**Well, this has turned out quite long too.**

**So, Day 1 is done! Remember that there are 6 days to go before the main action (and of course, the climax) of the plot. But it's not definite that there'll only be one chapter for each day. So expect at least 10 or 12 more chapters to go.**

**See ya in the next chapter!**

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	5. Crescent Moon Part 1

Hi!

Crys here!

Well, what do you know… I haven't updated for months now. I wasn't even able to fulfill Option A. Gee, I never expected the final year of high school to be THIS busy. Oh well…

But other than that, it's not that I lost my inspiration to write my stories. Heck, I REALLY wanted to update but time wasn't on my side.

This chapter was written long ago and I'm posting it up today (which happens to be my birthday…). I hope I can get back my writing spark after this.

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**Bold- **English

_Italics-_ Flashback

'Dialogue'- Thoughts

"Dialogue"- Spoken Dialogue

Underline- Codename

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis.

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**Once in a Blue Moon**

**CHAPTER 4: Crescent Moon (Part 1)**

_Flames took over the huge house that loomed over the horizon. The fiery red hue of the fire clashed with the black and blue darkness of the night sky. Like light and darkness._

_But where was the shadow, the product of light and darkness?_

_A human-shaped shadow of a young boy appeared. 'Why didn't nee-san pick me up?', he wondered. However, he soon spotted the huge mansion burning. His eyes widening in fear, the young one raced on the street, towards the inferno, where firefighters were gathered in order to put it out._

"_Okaa-san!!! Yuuta!!!" he shouted._

_One of the bystanders, a teenage girl with brown hair that was nearly similar to the young boy's, quickly stopped him before he rushed towards the burning house. "Syuusuke, no!!!"_

"_But nee-san!!!" he protested. "Okaa-san and Yuuta are in there!"_

"_I know that too, Syuusuke!" The girl cried out, tears falling from her eyes. "But… There's nothing we can do!"_

_The young boy stared at the house that was slowly becoming into pieces with deep blue eyes.  
_

"_OKAA-SAN!!!!!!!!!!!! YUUTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"_

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"Please, I beg you. Spare my life… Please…"

Darkness was in control of the vacuum. But sharp blue eyes penetrated the night to glare at a man that was prostrating himself before a young man that had a gun aimed at him.

"Saa… I'm afraid I make it a point to complete my missions till the very end…" And he pulled the trigger.

However, the stillness of the night was not shattered for the gun obviously had a silencer.

The young man stowed the gun back in his pocket before pulling out a phone.

"Mission Clear."

A click.

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"_Fu-kun?"_

"_Hmm? What is it?"_

_The one who spoke first was a young girl, dressed in a pink frilly dress that made her look so cute. Her green locks were held back by two pink pins at the side of her head. She was in a paradise-like garden, together with a young brown-haired boy who strangely had closed eyes but with a happy smile on his face._

"_Have you ever seen so many stars in the sky?" she asked innocently._

_The boy contemplated before answering, "No. But it must be really pretty. My okaa-san always tucks me in bed early night so I don't have time to see them."_

_The girl pouted. "Me too… But hey, why don't we sneak out tonight? We can watch them in the garden at the back of our house!"_

"_Eh?" The boy was surprised. "Are you sure?"_

"_Yes, I'm sure!" She had a determined bratty face on._

_The boy thought hard. Then he said, "Okay, I'll ask nee-san to go with me here during the day and then I'll ask her to pick me up later! Okaa-san maybe won't mind even if I stay here a little late as long as nee-san is going to pick me up."_

_Her eyes alight with joy, she held out her pinky finger. "It's a promise, right?"_

_Laughing lightly, 'Fu-kun' intertwined his finger with hers._

"_Promise."_

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Golden eyes slowly opened and blinked. The owner sat up from a sofa, only to squint at the rush of sunlight from the nearby window.

'It's morning already?'

"Oh, I see you're awake, Echizen-san."

Ryoma turned her head to look for the source of the voice. For some reason, it wasn't Fuji's but rather…

"Saeki?"

The silver-haired guy winked at her as he walked over from the kitchen. "The one and only. Although I told you Silver Moon is fine too…"

Removing the blanket, Ryoma slowly got up albeit she was still feeling a little woozy. "Where's… Fuji?"

Saeki's expression turned to a mixture of a little surprise at her question and gloomy from knowing the answer. "He's gone… to work," he said vaguely.

"Oh…" Ryoma caught the hint. Probably something dangerous and illegal.

Running her hands against her green silky locks, she said dizzily, "But I thought the two of us just finished eating dinner… And then everything went black. I can't remember a thing...."

Saeki frowned before turning back to the kitchen to make a breakfast. Should he tell her the truth? But then, she was suspicious so…

'Fuji won't mind. I bet he'll do the same anyway. Though maybe much more cheesy or sadistic…'

"Fuji had a visitor last night that he didn't want you to see so… he drugged you," Saeki said solemnly.

"Drugged… me?" Ryoma repeated.

"Yes. He didn't want to but he had no other choice. His visitor, Titan, was… well, to put it simply, a dangerous person."

Ryoma leaned back toward the couch as she sat. 'I'm not really sure if I should be angry at him or not but… If only I knew who Titan was...'

"Echizen-san, breakfast is ready."

Shaken out of her thoughts, the golden-eyed girl stood up. "I'm coming."

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In the Echizen mansion…

"It's been two days…"

"I know. And the police don't have any leads yet."

Akira sighed, running his gloved hand against his sleek brown hair. He was sitting at the end of Yuuki's bed while said girl was looking sadly out the window. Without the house owners, there wasn't really much work to do other than the upkeep of the house and all the other servants and maids of the house had already seen to that.

"I don't know, Akira, I'm just worried for Ryoma-chan and…-" she stopped when she felt Akira's arms wrap around her in a light hug.

'Akira…?' Her blue eyes widened open in surprise.

"Everything will be fine… Yuuki."

That statement not only comforted the young maid but also made her even more surprised. All because Akira was not the type to call people by first names.

So why?

But… Yuuki mused, maybe he was just… doing this to relieve her of her sadness?

Just that?

… …

For now, however, she decided on being contented with the comfort he gives her.

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Fuji yawned as he climbed the stairs toward his apartment. Night missions were the most thrilling but he did have a problem from lack of sleep. Back then, he can sleep during the day but now he couldn't, because his watch over the green-haired girl was a 24-hour basis, and there was no way he could sleep if she wasn't knocked out or trussed up, and that was something he really didn't like doing.

When he opened the door of his apartment, he nearly jumped back from the sight of Ryoma's scowling face.

She was the one who opened the door after all.

Well, thankfully, he was not a scatterbrain, and he managed to collect his wits and say a cheery good morning.

Unfortunately, the reply wasn't a jolly one.

"Che. What _exactly_ is good about this morning?"

With a (twitching) smile on his face, Fuji answered, "Hmm? Well, the sun is shining and it's not raining…"

"…"

If she wasn't a kidnapee, she would be glad to slam the door on his face for that.

Unfortunately, she is.

So she had to settle with just letting him inside AND slamming the door AFTER.

Although she really, really wanted to slam it BEFORE.

Life is so unfair.

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A few hours later…

Bored was the best description for Ryoma at the moment.

Saeki left a few minutes ago and now it's back to just her and her blue-eyed captor.

Honestly, she thought, this was all getting seriously… boring? Nah… Well, she was just thinking… A day had passed since she was kidnapped and according to Fuji, there were still 5 days to go. But really, why?

Well, she wasn't some sort of dangerous criminal who needed to be transported with dozens of armed guards. No way.

She was, distracted, however, by Fuji approaching her.

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Fuji was surprised.

No, someone did not just suddenly blow a paper bag and pop it in front of him. Rather, the reason for that was Ryoma's silence.

She hadn't asked anything ever since he came back. No questions about knocking her out, or leaving her in the night, or when she'll be free.

He couldn't help feeling suspicious yet worried at the same time. But how could she make her open up?

But then, he suddenly remembered what his mission for the day was. Smiling to himself, he approached her.

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Staring at his cerulean eyes, she waited for him to speak up.

"Echizen…"

He winked.

"Let's go on a date."

To be continued…

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**So uh… I won't be demanding anything. I'd just be happy to see you all read and review it again. I'm sure it will get me inspired to start writing again.**

**Sorry, no replies this time. Kind of in a hurry…**

**Wonder what Fuji's planning, hm?**

**See ya in the next chapter!**

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